Welding apparatus



Mfarchzs, 1939. R K HOPKINS 351,915

WELDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 193e 5 sheets-sheet l hr/I3 4a 35 s la 5|\ \1 /52 l 42, V 4| fi; am@ 36 32/ 32 33V 4| lo-F I7' F V V f4-l 37-- fag mvmow ROBERT K. HOPKINS @Y MM w ATTORNEY Mrcl'l 28, 1939. R K: HOPKHYNS 2,151,915

WELDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGB, 2

INVENTOR ROBERT K. HOPKINS ATTORNEY March 28, 1939. HOPKlNS 2,151,915

WELDING APPARATUS F'iled NOV. 5, `l936 3 SheeS--SheeTl 3 ROBERT K.HOPKINS my" 7,9m@r

TTORNEY Patented Mar. 28, 1939 2,151,915 WELDING APPARATUS Robert K. Hopkins, New York, N. Y., assignor to M. W. Kellogg Co., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delawarel 'Application November 5. 1936, Serial No. 109,292

9Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to the electric fusion of metals, and has particular reference to an improved apparatus for carrying out operations o f this type. v Inthe present practice of electric welding the deposition of metal is ordinarily carried out by the use of consumableelectrodes. These eleci trodes may be bare or covered but in anycase,

the metallic component thereof includes all or substantially all of the constituents required to produce the desired deposited metal. Thus, electrode metal is generally of special analysis and by reason of this fact and the fact that it is usually produced in small quantities is considerably more expensive than metal of generally similar analysis e in the usual commercial forms. In any event,` electrode metal is usually much more expensive than the constituents thereof ln their readily available commercial forms.

In my copending application, Serial No. 101,103, filed September 16, 1936, I have disclosed and claimed a method, and apparatus for carrying it out in practice, in which the constituents of the desired deposited metal in the readily available commercial forms are supplied to thewelding gap in separately controlled streams so that with any set of constituents weld metals of wide variation in analysis may easily be deposited. n Preferably, some of the constituents are supplied in the form of a hollow metallic electrode and the remainder are supplied in the form of powder, granules, pellets or wire and fed to the welding gap through the hollow electrode. Thus, for instance, when itis desired to deposit an iron-chrome alloy upon carbon steel base metal the hollow electrode is made of mild steel and the chromium is supplied as ferro-chrome. With this set of constituents, a wide range of iron-chrome alloys may be deposited.

The apparatus of the invention is in the nature of an improvement over the apparatus of my copending application, above identied.

It is an object of this invention, to provide an apparatus of the character mentioned that includes a novel arrangement for the support and positioning of the hollow electrode sections whereby the addition of electrode sections may be carried out more speedily and with a minimum interruption in the normal functioning of the apparatus.

It is also an object of this invention to provide Y an apparatus of the character mentioned that includes an improved arrangement for feeding and for controlling the rate of feedl of the stream of (Cl. B19- 8) material passed to the welding gap through the hollow electrode.

These and the further objects of this invention will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application. in which,

Fig. 1.is la front elevation. showing the welding machine depositing a welded veneerl upon a workpiece.

Fig. 2 is an elevation view showing the feed mechanism for one of the weld metal constituents; and I Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Fig. 2. i

Referring to Fig. 1, the welding machine comprises a supporting frame I0, lto the lower eind of which is attached a welding head I I. Welding head I I may be of any preferred construction and arrangement but should include all of the usual elements and devices necessary for successful operation, these elements and devices, for the purposes of this application being considered as located in back of the panel of welding head II. The upper portion of frame I supports a platform I2 upon which is positioned an automatic feeding mechanism I3, to be fully described here'- inafter. The weldingmachine is positioned above workpiece I4 and may be arranged for movement relative to workpiece I4. On the other hand, the welding machine may be xedly positioned and workpiece I4 supported to allow it to be moved relative to the welding machine, or both the welding machine and the workpiece I4 may be supported for desired movement. It is to be understood, that all structural requirements necessary tomaintain the various elements in their proper relationship have been provided, despite their omission from the drawings for the sake of conI venience and clarity.

The apparatus disclosed, includes three electrodes I5, I6, and Il which together with the material passed through hollow electrode l1 supply all of the constituents for the required deposited metal. While three electrodes have been shown, the invention is not limited to this number of electrodes. IIhus only one electrode i1 or a plurality of electrodes il may be used, and also electrodes I5 and I6 may be eliminated or a number-greater than two may be used. In any case, `the spacing of the electrodes is such that they deposit their metalin a common pool I8. The pool I8 is formed into a continuous band by the relative movement of the workpiece I4, and the welding machine.

As particularly shown 'in Fig. 1 the ends of electrode I5, I6 and I1 are submerged in a flux blanket I9 that is formed betweenmembers 20 disposed along the electrode path. The purpose and composition of ux blanket I9 as well as the band forming operations are disclosed at length in my copending application above identified, and need not be repeated here..

It is to be understood that while a veneering operation has been illustrated, ,the apparatus of this invention is not limited thereto and can be used equally well in connection with any of the known welding operatio The composition of electrodes I5, I Ii, and I1, as well as the composition of the material passed through hollow electrode Il, which in the rest of this application will be referred to as the granular material, will depend on the compostion of the i weld metal it is desired to deposit as well as the composition of the base metal upon which the weld metal is deposited. For instance, if the weld metal is to be an iron-chrome alloy and the base metal a carbon steel, all three electrodes may be of iron, or some may be of iron and others of some cheap readily available iron-chrome alloy. When the weld metal desired is a chrome-iron alloy the granular material may be ferro-chrome. When the weld metal desired includes more than one alloying constituent as for instance. when it is a chrome-nickel-iron alloy, the granular material may be a proper mixture of ferro-chrome and metallic nickel or some suitable compound of nickel. In this case, however, the nickel may also be supplied by making one or more of the electrodes of nickel. Electrodes I5 and I B may be in any preferred form, such as rod or wire. For the purposes of this application they will be con sidered to be wire and supplied as from a pair of reels mounted on the supporting structure in any preferred manner. Electrode I1 is preferably hollow or at least trough-like. When depositing iron alloys in which iron is a major constituent upon an iron or carbon steel base metal electrode I 'l is preferably an iron or a mild steel pipe since bgth of these articles are cheap and readily availa le.

Electrodes I5 and I8 are positively fed toward workpiece Il by means of grooved feed wheels mounted on the shafts of the electrode feed motors 2| and 22.

Pressure rollers 23 and 24 serve to hold the electrodes Il and I8 against their corresponding feed wheels in order to maintain a lirm gripping action on the electrodes at all times. Correct lateral positioning of the three electrodes is maintained by means of the contact nozzle 25 and the guide block 28 through which the electrodes pass.

Contact nozzle 25 not only maintains the proper spacing between the electrodes, but also supplies current to them from the current source. The nozzle is provided with suitable insulating arrangements so that each electrode may be supplied with current independently of the others. With this arrangement it is possible to control and vary as necessary, the current being supplied to each electrode. When desirable, it is also possible to cut of! the current supply to any of the electrodes in order thatthey may be fed to the welding pool as dead electrodes. It is, o! course. apparent that the current may also be supplied from a single source through the contact nozzle to any combination of the electrodes by eliminating the insulating means. 1

Electrode I1 comprises a plurality of easily connectiblolengthatwolsngthsbeingshownintbe drawings although an indefinite number may be used. The separate hollow electrode lengths are adapted to be joined end-to-end by any suitable means; such as the threaded nipple 30.

'I'he hollow electrode l1 is positively fed to the welding gap by means of a driving roller, connected to the shaft of the motor 21, that is backed up by a pressure roller 28 diametrically opposed thereto. Correct proportioning of the electrode constituents is maintained by regulating the speed of the feeding motors so that a suitable relationship between the rate of feed of the electrodes and the rate of travel of the welding machine relative to the workpiece may be obtained in order to secure weld metal of the desired analysis. The manner of obtaining and controlling these and the other essential factors is set out at length in my copending application above identified. The granular material is fed through the hollow electrode I1, the rate of feed being controlled by means of the automatic feeding mechanism I3. The feeding connection between the mechanism I3 and the hollow electrode I1 is maintained by providing a telescopic arrangement between the hollow electrode I1 and a feed pipe 29, the outside diameter of which atleast at its bottom end is substantially less than the bore of the hollow electrode, and also less than the bore of the nipple 30. The upper end of the pipe 28 is fitted into a feed pipe head 3| having a funnel-shaped interior connecting with the hollow center of the feed pipe to form a pathway for the granular material from the feeding mechanism I3 to the hollow electrode. Projecting outwardly on opposite sides of this pipe head 3i are a pair of pins 32 and 33 which support the pipe 29 in a manner to be presently described. As the hollow electrode is consumed in the Welding operation lit is withdrawn from the feeding pipe 29 until the two become separated, at which time a new Ihollow electrode length is joined to the remaining portion of the hollow electrode which is being consumed. To expedite this operation, a second hollow electrode length I1' is constantly kept in readiness so that a rapid changeover may be made, and the new length I'l secur`ed to the upper end of the preceeding length Il without interrupting or materially affecting the continuity of the feeding.

`For this purpose, a pipe rack, generally indicated at 34, is provided. It comprises a movable block 35 adapted to slide transversally in a guideway 36 secured to the upper portion of the framework Ill directly beneath the platform l2. Secured to the under side of the block 35, and projecting downwardly therefrom in parallel fashion, are a pairof angle iron strips 31 and 38 and, spaced midway therebetween, a strip of U-shaped channel iron'3'9. A transverse strip 4U is fastened across their lower ends to provide a sturdy framework and to maintain the proper lateral spacing.

The forwardly projecting sides of the channel and angle iron strips are provided with a series of slots 4I, 42, 4I and 42 at their upper ends which act as bearing grooves for the pins 32, 33,

y32 and 33' of the feed pipe heads 3| and 3|'.

'I'he slots are cut at a slight downward angle so that a slight upward thrust of the feed pipes will cause the same to be forced outwardly to disengage the feed pipe head from the rack.

The idle feed pipe 23 is kept in readiness with a length of hollow electrode I1 thereon, so that a rapid changeover may be made. The pipe I1 is held on the feed pipe 29' in either of two ways. by screwing the upper and of the eloarode a `slotsoppositely disposed and of a width greater than the diameter of the feed pipes, but less than the diameter of the projecting end of the nipple 35. 'I'he pivot 44 is spaced midway between the hanging feed pipes 23 and 29' and the slots'are spaced from the pivot sufilciently so that by` swinging the lever either to the leftvor right the forward slot may be made to engage its corresponding feed pipe to provide a lateral support for .the pipe electrode. The lower support 43 may be used whenever short'lengths of hollow -electrode are being used, in which case the electrode, if suspended by its upper threadedportion, might not be within reach of the operator.

The electrode switching operation is accomplished as follows: a length of cableA 41 is secured at its ends to a pair of pin members 43 and 49 projecting from the upper surface of the slid` ing block 35. I'he cable passes around pulleys i and 52 secured to the upper portion of the frame work l0, and around pulleys 53 and 54 secured to the welding head il. A second length `of cable 55 passes around a pair of pulleys 55 and 51 and has its ends fastened to cable 41 at points 53 and 59. At its midpoint, the cable 55 is suitably secured to a pin 5I projecting from the back of the U-channel member 39. A shift lever 52, having one end pivotally mounted at 53 to the frameworlvlil and the other end projecting forwardly to a point within easyreach of the operator, is secured at a point 54 between its ends to the cable 41. With the rack 34 in the position shown in Fig. l the lever 52 will be in its raised position. ,y

When the hollow electrode I1 has been consumed sufficiently to causeit to separate from the feed pipe 29, the reserve length of hollow electrode I1' is brought into position for use by pressing down the free end of shift lever 52. From the cable and pulley arrangement shown in the drawings, it is obvious that, as the lever is pushed down,` the rack will move to the.right. Suitable limiting arrangements may be made so that the rack will move only to a position in which the electrode lengths I1 and- I1' are in alinement, or the positioning may be done by hand. The two electrode lengths are then joined by unscrewing the electrode l1' from the upper threaded portion of the feed pipe 29' or, where a short length is being added, by releasing the plate member 43 and screwing the nipple 33 at the lower end into the threaded end of the electrode l1. This connection may be made very Arapidly without interrupting the continuity of the feeding, it being necessary only to perform the operation before the lelectrode l1 passes through the uide block 25. During the changeover the flowy of the granular material is momentarily interrupted, as will be later described in connection with the feeding mechanism `shown in Fig.l 2. A new length of hollow elecelectrode on the latter. The plate 43 is then ,swung about its pivot 44 to a position where the opposite slot in the free end will engage the feed pipe 29 and act as a support for the new electrode length.

In order to maintain a substantially continuous ow of the granular material through the electrode, and to prevent the material from clogging in the electrode, a vibrator 50 is positioned on contact nozzle 25. The vibrator may be of any well-known type, its function being to impart a continuous tapping action to the hollow electrode to shake loose any particles of material that may adhere to the inner surface of the electrode and clog the flow of granular material therethrough. The vibrator illustrated is of a compressed air type, although any mechanicalor electrical type might be used in its stead.

Referring now to Fig. 2 the feed mechanism i3 will be described. It comprises a housing 55 mounted on a base plate 55 which rests upon the platform I2. Centrally located within the housing is a vertical shaft 51 supported by crossmember bearing plates 55 and 59 secured tthe sides of the housing. 'I'he upper end of the shaft is set in a recess in the bearing plate 53 and the lower end projects through an opening in plate 59 where it is joined, by means of a coupling sleeve 1l, to the shaft of a gear reduction box 12. The driving shaft 13 of the gear reduction box is connected to a motor 13' shown in dotted lines and located at the rear of the housing on the platform i2. The motor includes suitable speed varying means sothat the driving rate may be varied lat will. The speed varying means may take the form of a variable speed motor or, in lieu thereof, any of the well known arrangements of variable `speed transmission. Longitudinal movement of the shaft 51 downwardly is prevented by means of a stepped portion 14 Awhich rests upon the bearing plate 59. Mounted lon the shaft 51 intermediate the cross-members a pin or keyway, is provided so that the disc willv rotate integral with the shaft 51. The anged portion 11 of the disc 15 is provided with a series of holes 13 equispaced about. the disc, tenbholes beingl used in the present embodiment. These holes serve as carrying receptacles for the granular material which is supplied from the storage container 19, mounted on a bracket projecting from the bearing plate 33, and having a funnelshaped bottom. A pipe 3| directs the granular material from thecontainer to the surface of the disc flange 11 and into the holes 13 as they pass directly beneath thelower opening of the pipe. A felt wiper sleeve 32 connected to the lower end of pipe 3l by a clamp 33 contacts the flange surface. As the disc rotates the sleeve holds back the excess particles and permits a level receptacle full of granular particles to be conveyed.

While rotating from the point of filling to' the point where discharge is to take place, the metal granules are retainedin the holes 13 by means of individual dump-valves 34 disposed adjacent each hole on the under side of the disc The valve mechanism comprises a trap door 35 pivoted at v 35 to a block 31 secured to the underside of the ador Il, and its inner end pivotauy secured at' 93 to the projecting head of a bolt 94 extending through the disc. The lever 89 comprises two identical parallel members held apart by spacing blocks 95 and 96. The trap door 85 is normally held in its closed position by means of a spring 91 acting upon an operating plunger 99 extending through the disc. The lower end of the plunger` is pivotally secured at 99 to the lever 09 at a point intermediate its ends. The spring* 91 is disposed in a recess |00 having a ledge portion |0| at its lower end. The spring is held under compression between the ledge portion Ill-l and ge mushroom head |02 of the operating plunger As the shaft 51 rotates, the head |02, which normally projects a substantial distance above the upper surface of `the disc, engages a roller las, pivoted at |04 to a bracket |05 mounted on the cross member 68. When the disc reaches a position where a hole 19 is directly forward, the plunger head |02 will be urged downwardly by the roller |03. This causes the trap door fifi to open, thus releasing the granular material. .as the plunger head passes from. beneath the roller the trap door closes under the action of the spring 91. It is obvious that as the disc rotates there will be an intermittent discharge of grand lar material, the rate of which is determined and controlled by the speed varying means of the operating motor.

To prevent small particles of the granular material from adhering to the surface of the trap door`or the under side of the disc, and thus preventing the trap door from closing to form a good seal, a wiping brush may be placed in convenient position on the front of the framework to wipe the particles oil door and disc immediately following the dumping operation and before the trap door has had an opportunity to close. An additional safeguard to insure closing of the trap door suiiiciently to prevent leakage has been provided in the form of a contact ring |06 supported on the cross member 09 by two non-con ductive supports |01 and |08 and connected to a source of potential. The ring |06 is cut away for a substantial portion of its circumference, as shown in Fig. 3, to permit the lever 99 to be lowered when at its discharge position. After discharge takes place, the lever 99 ordinarily is pulled upwardly. However, should the mechanism become jammed, or for any reason fall to function properly and the trap door remains open, the lower forward end of the lever will touch the contact ring. By grounding the disc and inserting a warning device in circuit the operator may be apprised of the improper operation of the valve. The approach end of the ring |06 is.curved downwardly at |09 to prevent the lever from catching on the edge of the ring when it becomes stuck in its lowermost position. The inclined portion of the ring also serves to start the closing operation of the lever when the latter is below the plane of the ring. Since the ring is positioned so that it barely misses thervalvc mechanism in its closed position, the ring itself will in many cases, release the stuck valve.

Below the bearing plate 69 are two funnelshaped guides and I2 for catching the granular material. The guide is placed forward of the bearing plate and is secured thereto at its upper end. The lower end terminates in a circular opening fltted to a pipe III extending through the 'support I2. This funnel is for directing the granules to the hollow electrode. The second tunnel member is disposed to the rear o! bearing plate 69 and terminates at a pipe III at the rear of the apparatus. This funnel is for catching the excess particles that are wiped off the disc in the leveling operation. These particles may be caught in a receptacle placed be- 5 neath the pipe I4 and replaced in the storage container 79.

The sliding block 35 has a projecting portion ||5 on either side adapted to engage and slide along the Uwhaped channel guides 3E and 3E. 10 The block 35 has a longitudinal groove l l0 cut io its upper surface and at each end of the groove there is a funneleshaped hole lil projecting ver-` tically through the bloeit. Outlet pipes l lli and. lill` are fitted into the lower side of `the block at 15 the 'bottom ol" the holes. .lt will he observed that the outlet pipe ilil projects intl. 4the feed pipe head .lis shot l the rack is in position for direct feeding .i we electrode il. zo

As the rack is shifted to its opposite by means of the cable al, the pipe lili along the groove lill. .il :teit sleeve llo on the lower end of the pipe i lil and p" ,l low its end so as to engage the surface l the bottom oi? the groove. The felt slee as a wiper to prevent particles from. the surface of the groove and also to material in the pipe lili during the chad operation. During the change-over it is essary to stop the feeding apparatus particles may be allowed to accuniu the pipe H3. Upon reaching the opening or opposite side of the groove the entire aboutira.lw tion will dump. m

The construction of the ieed pipe head also clearly shown in this figure. The bloeit il has a cylindrical opening |22 tapering at its lower end. 'Ihe upper threaded end of the feed pipe 29 is screwed into a threaded opening in the lower end o of the block 3|.l The method of supporting the block by means of the pins 32 and 33 in grooves tl and 42 formed in the sides of the angle iron and channel iron frames is also clearly shown.

Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the feeding appa- 45 ratus with the storage container removedl and portions broken away for the sake of clarity.

The positioningf the storage container bracket |22 and the valve operating roller bracket l05 on the cross member 68 is clearly shown. To insure accurate leveling of the particles of granular material in the holes 18 and to keep the upper surface of the flange portion 11 of the disc free from loose particles, an additional safeguard in the form of three wiper brushes is provided. rihe brushes |23, |24, and |25 are mounted on arms |26 extending from a bracket |21 fastened to the side of the housing.Y These wipers may be made of felt or other suitable material and are disposed to bear lightly on the surface of the disc. The wipers are set at an angle so that the particles will be brushed of! the outer edge of the flange as the disc rotates. The particles brushed oif are caught in the funnelshaped guide ||2 and directed through the outlet |29 to the outlet pipe I H, shown in Fig. 2. 85

While this invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that lt is not so limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and it is desired therefore that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. vIn` welding apparatus adxuited4 to deposit 76 metal upon a workpiece by the discharge of electric current through a gap between an electrode and the workpiece, in combination, an electric current supply connection, an electrode comprising a plurality of connectible sections, electrode feed means adapted'to feed said electrode past said supply connection towards the workpiece, and means oscillatable across the direction of feed of said electrode for positioning electrode sections for connection with said electrode on its way to the workpiece.

2. In an electric arc welding apparatus adapted to continuously weld with a succession of connectible, consumable electrode lengths, an electrode current supply connection, an electrode feeding means adapted to feed a length of consumable electrode past said current supply connection, a stand-by electrode length carrier mounted adjacent said electrode feeding means, and means for moving said carrier to a position enabling the connecting. of an end of a stand-by electrode to the electrode being fed.

3. In welding apparatus adapted to deposit metal upon a workpiece by the discharge of electric current through a gap between an electrode and the workpiece, in combination, an electric current supply connection, electrode, feed means adapted to feed an electrode made. up of a plurality of connectible sections past said supply conriection toward the workpiece, a support movable transversely of the direction of feed of the electrode, said support including means for holding a plurality of separate electrode lengths and being movable to` a plurality of positions, in each of which one of said plurality of. separate electrode lengths is positioned for connection to the electrode on its way to the wor piece, and means for moving said support succes ively to each of said positions.

4. In welding apparatus adapted to deposit metal upon a workpiece by the discharge of electric current through a gap between an electrode and the workpiece, in combination, an electric current supplyconnection, electrode feed means adapted-to feed an electrode made up of a plurality of hollow connectible sections past said supply connection toward the workpiece, a source of fusible material, metering means adapted to feed the material from said source at a controllable rate, means adapted to support a plurality of the electrode sections, said means being movable to position the electrode sections one at a time for connection to the electrode on its waytoward the workpiece, and hollow communicating members removably positioned on said support means adapted to extend into the electrode sections and to pass metered material from said metering means into the hollow electrode on its way to the workpiece.

5. In welding apparatus adapted to vdeposit metal upon a workpiece by the discharge of electric current through a gap between an electrode and the workpiece, in combination, an electric current supply connection, electrode feed means adapted to feed an electrode made up 'of a plurality of hollow connectible sections past said supply connection toward the workpiece, a source of fusible material, metering means adapted to feed the material from said source at a controllable rate, means adapted to support a plurality of the lectrode sections, said means being movable to position the electrode sections one at a time for connection to the electrode on its way toward the workpiece, hollow communlcatingmembers removably positioned on said support means' adapted to extend into the electrode sections to pass metered material into the hollow electrode on itsv way to the workpiece, a member carried by 5 said support means and extending across the projecting ends of said hollow members, said member having a plurality of passageways therethrough corresponding to each hollow member, each passageway registering with its one of said hollow 1o obstructing the flow of material through said 15 member during movement of said support means whereby material is permitted to accumulate during said movement and to discharge when the succeeding position of said support means is attained.

6. In an electric arc welding apparatus adapted 20 to continuously weld with a plurality of connectible, hollow consumable electrode lengths, an electrode current supply connection, a plurality of hollow consumable electrode lengths, an electrode feeding means adapted to feed a length of con- 25 sumable hollow electrode past said current supply connection, a separate source of fusible metal, means for feeding the fusible metal through said hollow electrode to form part of the weld, a carrier for said electrode lengths, and means for 30 moving said carrier to the electrode connecting position.

7. In an electric arc welding apparatus adapted to continuously weld with a plurality of connectible, hollow consumable electrode lengths, an elec- 35 trode current supply connection, a plurality of hollow consumable electrode lengths, an electrode feeding means adapted to feed a length of consumable hollow electrode past said current supply connection, a separate source of fusible metal, 40

means including a stationary duct Within said hollow electrode for feeding the fusible metal to the weld through said hollow electrode, a carrier for said electrode lengths, and means for moving said carrier to electrode connecting position.

8. In an electric arc welding apparatus adapted to continuously Weld with a plurality of connectible, hollow consumable electrode lengths, an electrode current supply connection, a plurality of hollow consumable electrode lengths, au electrode feeding means adapted to feed a length of consumable hollow electrode past said current supply connection, a separate source of fusible metal,

metering means for supplying the fusible metal at a predetermined rate through said hollow elec- 55 trode to form part of the weld, a carrier for said electrode lengths, and means for moving said carrier to the electrode connecting position.

9. In welding apparatus adapted to deposit metal upon a workpiece by the discharge of electric current through avgap between *an electrode and the workpiece, in combination, an electric current supply connection, a hollow electrode, means adapted to feed said hollow electrode past said supply connection toward the workpiece, a source of fusible metallic material, means for feeding said material through said hollow electrode to form part of the deposited metal, and means for vibrating the discharge end of said electrode' to prevent the sealing of said end by said .m 

